FRSM Violin Guide: Fellowship-Level ABRSM Performance
How to think about FRSM violin performance, including the 50-minute recital, Written Submission, Viva Voce, Quick Study and repertoire planning.
FRSM violin is fellowship-level work. It is not simply a harder recital exam. The candidate has to present a mature programme, sustain a long musical argument, and write critically about performance issues connected with the recital.
In the ABRSM Performance Diploma Syllabus 2022, FRSM Music Performance includes a recital of about 50 minutes, a Written Submission of about 4,500 words, a Viva Voce and a Quick Study. The usual prerequisite is LRSM Music Performance in the instrument, or an accepted substitution.
For the broader pathway, see the ABRSM violin diploma exam hub.
What makes FRSM different
| Area | FRSM expectation |
|---|---|
| Recital | A 50-minute programme with mature musical command |
| Written Submission | A researched performance-focused study, not concert notes |
| Viva Voce | Discussion of the submission, recital and wider performance issues |
| Quick Study | A high-level reading test that still needs musical poise |
At this level, the examiner is listening for evidence that the candidate has moved significantly beyond LRSM. That evidence is not only technical difficulty. It is authority, coherence, stylistic depth and the ability to think like a performer-researcher.
Repertoire direction
The FRSM violin list points toward major repertoire. It includes Bach solo sonata and partita movements, Bartok Concerto no.2, Beethoven Concerto and late sonata repertoire, Berg Concerto, Brahms Concerto and sonata, Bruch, Chausson Poeme, Dvorak Concerto, Elgar Concerto, Franck, Lutoslawski, Mendelssohn, Mozart concertos, Paganini Caprices, Penderecki, Prokofiev, Ravel, Rubbra, Saint-Saens, Sarasate, Schoenberg, Schubert, Schumann, Sibelius, Stravinsky, Szymanowski, Takemitsu, Tartini, Tchaikovsky, Turina, Vaughan Williams, Walton and Wieniawski.
That list should be treated as a field of serious recital choices, not a challenge menu. A successful FRSM programme may be built around one large work, but the surrounding repertoire must still create a convincing whole.
Written Submission
The FRSM Written Submission should address idiomatic features and performance issues connected with the recital. It does not need to discuss every piece equally. In fact, a focused topic is often stronger than a survey of the whole programme.
Possible violin topics include:
| Topic type | Example angle |
|---|---|
| Instrumental idiom | How bow distribution shapes structure in Bach or Beethoven |
| Historical style | The role of portamento, vibrato or articulation in Romantic repertoire |
| Edition and sources | How editorial choices affect fingering, bowing or phrasing |
| Concerto rhetoric | Cadenzas, orchestral texture and soloist identity |
| Reception and interpretation | How performance traditions shape a familiar work |
The submission should show research, but it should also sound like it belongs to the performer who will walk into the exam room. The writing needs personal insight and critical judgement, not only borrowed information.
Recital pacing
Fifty minutes is long enough for weak pacing to become obvious. The violinist needs to think about physical stamina, left-hand recovery, bow-arm freshness, accompanist balance, and the emotional arc of the programme.
A brilliant opening can be effective, but only if the programme still has somewhere to go. A heavy sonata followed by a heavy concerto movement may look impressive on paper and feel static in performance. Contrast should include texture, density, historical language and the role of silence between items.
FRSM violin repertoire choices
| Composer | Repertoire choice |
|---|---|
| J.S. Bach | Partita for solo violin no.3 in E, BWV 1006: 1st and 2nd movts, Preludio and Loure, from Bach 3 Sonatas and 3 Partitas for solo violin (Barenreiter BA 5116) |
| J.S. Bach | Sonata for solo violin no.1 in G minor, BWV 1001: 1st and 2nd movts, Adagio and Fuga: Allegro, from Bach 3 Sonatas and 3 Partitas for solo violin (Barenreiter BA 5116) |
| Bartok | Concerto no.2 in B minor: 1st movt (Boosey & Hawkes) |
| Beethoven | Concerto in D, Op.61: 1st movt with cadenza (Henle 326) |
| Beethoven | Any two contrasting movements from Sonata Op.47 in A “Kreutzer” or Op.96 in G, from Beethoven Sonatas for Piano and Violin, Vol.2 (Henle 8) |
| Berg | Concerto: 1st or 2nd movt (Universal UE10903) |
| Brahms | Concerto in D, Op.77: 1st movt with cadenza by Joachim (IMC 1502) |
| Brahms | Sonata in D minor, Op.108: any two movts (Wiener Urtext) |
| Bruch | Concerto no.1 in G minor, Op.26: 3rd movt (Peters EP 4590) |
| Chausson | Poeme, Op.25 (Schott ED 1532) |
| Dvorak | Concerto in A minor, Op.53: 1st movt (Barenreiter H 1005) |
| Elgar | Concerto in B minor, Op.61: 1st movt (Novello) |
| Franck | Sonata in A: 1st and 2nd movts (Henle 293 or Wiener Urtext) |
| Lutoslawski | Subito (Chester) |
| Mendelssohn | Concerto in E minor, Op.64: 1st and 2nd movts, or 2nd and 3rd movts (Peters EP 1731a) |
| Mozart | Any two movements, with cadenzas where appropriate, from one of the 5 Concertos: no.1 in B-flat K.207, no.2 in D K.211, no.3 in G K.216, no.4 in D K.218, no.5 in A K.219 (Barenreiter editions) |
| Paganini | Any of the 24 Capricci, Op.1 (Henle 450) |
| Krzysztof Penderecki | Cadenza for solo violin (Schott ED 7649) |
| Prokofiev | Concerto no.2 in G minor, Op.63: 1st movt (Boosey & Hawkes) |
| Ravel | Sonata: 1st and 2nd movts, or 2nd and 3rd movts (Durand) |
| Rubbra | Sonata no.2, Op.31: 1st and 3rd movts (OUP archive-Allegro) |
| Saint-Saens | Concerto no.3 in B minor, Op.61: any two movts (Durand) |
| Saint-Saens | Introduction et Rondo Capriccioso in A minor, Op.28, trans. Bizet (Durand) |
| Sarasate | Any two Danzas Espanolas: Malaguena, Romanza Andaluza, Zapateado (Simrock) |
| Schoenberg | Phantasy, Op.47 (Peters EP 6060) |
| Schubert | Rondo in A, D.438 (Schott ED 5290) |
| Schumann | Sonata no.2 in D minor, Op.121: 1st and 3rd movts, from Schumann 2 Violin Sonatas (Peters EP 2367) |
| Sibelius | Concerto in D minor, Op.47: 1st movt (Peters D 2420) |
| B. Stevens | Sonata in A minor in one movement (Bardic Edition) |
| Stravinsky | Elegie for solo violin (Schott VLB 47) |
| Szymanowski | Any two of the 3 Myths, Op.30 (Universal editions) |
| Toru Takemitsu | From far beyond Chrysanthemums and November Fog (Schott SJ 1014) |
| Tartini | Sonata in G minor “Devil’s Trill”: complete (Barenreiter HM 278) |
| Tchaikovsky | Concerto in D, Op.35: 1st movt, or 2nd and 3rd movts (Peters EP 3019b) |
| Turina | Sonate Espagnole: 1st movt (Schott VLB 85) |
| Vaughan Williams | The Lark Ascending (OUP) |
| Walton | Concerto: 1st movt (OUP) |
| Walton | Sonata: either movt or complete (OUP) |
| Wieniawski | Concerto no.2 in D minor, Op.22: 1st movt (Peters EP 3296) |
| Wieniawski | Polonaise de Concert in D, Op.4 (IMC 2627) |
| Wieniawski | Polonaise Brillante in A, Op.21 (IMC 2628) |
| Wieniawski | Scherzo-Tarantelle in G minor, Op.16 (Peters EP 3292) |
Specialist and orchestral thinking
FRSM allows a substantial specialist option for suitable candidates. Violinists with orchestral experience may also need to be aware of the FRSM orchestral excerpt list, which includes major symphonic and operatic excerpts. This option should be chosen only when it reflects a real performance identity.
Before entering
FRSM is worth delaying until the candidate can record a full programme and hear not only competence, but viewpoint. The recital should sound chosen, not assembled. The Written Submission should already be shaping the interpretation, not trailing behind it.
Candidates still deciding between levels should compare LRSM violin before committing.
